Elevated platform hunting is a popular and growing sport throughout the country and the world. It is known that certain advantages are provided to the hunter if the hunter is located in a tree. Target angles are more advantageous if the hunter is located high up in a tree from 10 feet to 15 feet above the ground. In addition to advantageous target angles, various natural obstructions are removed when the hunter is located above the ground. For these reasons, it is common for hunters in many different jurisdictions, to hunt in tree stands above the ground.
Tree stands are normally positioned, as stated, from 10 to 15 feet above the ground. Often the hunter lifts numerous articles up into the tree such as, articles of clothing, rain gear, bows, arrows, food containers, coolers, equipment belt, back pack and various tree stand compatible seating arrangements. In climbing and once up in the tree stand, inadvertent movements may cause some or all of these carried articles to fall to the ground. Hunters often do not desire to climb back to the ground to retrieve these fallen articles. At that point a convenient, cost effective and easily transportable tool is required to assist the hunter in retrieving fallen articles. In addition and effective method for lowering articles from a tree stand is also desirable.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,388,877 to Wenk discloses a hunting bow retriever which is releasably engagable with a hunting bow to allow a treebound hunter to raise and lower the hunting bow to the hunting position. The hunting bow retriever comprises a reel mounted in an enclosed palm sized casing and a line wound on the reel and extending out of the casing. The line has an open hook on the end that permits remote release of the bow. A foldable handle assembly engages the reel and implements rotational movement. The hunting bow retriever of Wenk discloses a hook 32 which is not designed for use in retrieving fallen articles but is directed at raising and lowering articles that have had the hook 32 attached prior to raising or lowering. Thus the hunting bow retriever of Wenk is not useful in solving the above described problems associated with fallen article retrieval.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,613,721 to Mullins discloses an apparatus for raising, lowering and retrieving an article such as an arrow or an article of clothing to and from an elevated position relative to the ground such as a tree stand. The article retrieving apparatus of the Mullins patent includes a foldable hook assembly with a pair of spaced apart generally parallel body members defining a space there between adapted to receive an arrow, spacers arranged between the body members and a pair of fork arms pivotally connected with the body members. The fork arms are provided with angled surfaces which facilitate engagement of the item and allow the apparatus to slide along the ground. The ends of the fork arms are provided with barbs which allow soft articles, such as articles of clothing to be engaged.
The article retrieving apparatus of Mullins includes a two piece moving or pivoting system which must operate flawlessly each time it is dropped or lowered to the ground to raise the fallen articles. A simpler, more consistent means of retrieval is desirable. In addition the closely arranged forks 28 and 30 do not allow for a broad range or area for which an article can be initially engaged before raising the article. A larger area of engagement of the forks is important in light of the sometimes limited mobility of the hunter while located in the elevated tree stand.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,596,202 to Brewster discloses collapsible boat anchor comprising a fixed grapple and a movable grapple. The fixed grapple includes a shaft having the movable grapple located thereon. The shaft includes a releasable lock adapted to unlock the movable grapple so that it lies parallel to the fixed grapple allowing storage of the anchor. The lock, in its locked position, locks the movable grapple in a fixed position whereby it extends transverse to the fixed grapple allowing the grapples to act as an anchor.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,108,484 to Malroit discloses a collapsible grapple comprising a pair of selectively assembleable members. The first member includes a pair of elongated shanks confluent at their upper ends to form a single part and defining between them an elongate slot. The second member similarly comprises a pair of elongated shank confluent at their upper ends to form a single part and defining between them an elongate slot. The shank elements of the second member converge below their upper ends to form a first loop, then part and converge again below the first loop to form a second loop between the first and second convergences. The lower ends of the shanks of both members extend away from the elongated slot and have pointed ends to define a pair of hooks lying in substantially the same plane as the shanks.